Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount for winter 2024-25.

From winter 2022 the Government extended the Warm Home Discount to support more households in fuel poverty, who have low incomes and live in homes that are costly to heat. This winter we lowered the threshold for a property to be considered costly to heat and we expect over 3 million households to receive the rebate, around a million more households compared with the previous scheme prior to winter 2022.

As the scheme is funded by participating energy suppliers, we have struck a balance between supporting as many households as possible, providing meaningful support, and limiting the impact on wider consumer bills.

Energy prices have significantly fallen in the past year. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will keep options under review, including with respect to the most vulnerable households.